Reawakening
by Maegatr0n
Summary: Mina Alexandra Erie. Mercenary for hire. Endebted to a devil. When her captor and master Doctor Hauser orders Mina to procure a certain 73 torpedoes from Starfleet Storage, Mina will find something more important than just our favorite Augment. She will find the means of her survival.
1. Chapter 1

"Mina, hand me that torch, will you"

A hand reached out in the dark, beckoning for the ancient fire welding tool that she had in her hands. The woman handed the inviting palm what they needed and in just a second's time, they had started it up and began burning metal. The one called Mina looked over her shoulder to make sure they were unobserved. She could feel the gentle ticking of anxiety. They did not have long to find what they needed before Starfleet would be alerted.

"Remember Rick, just get the outline, I will take care of the rest." Mina waited impatiently, feeling useless in her inactivity. After a few minutes, there was a grunt before a man came from the entrance that they had begun to make into the Federation Cargo 1B hold. Usually, it was under air tight security. But a mixture of luck and skill had made it easy to circumvent their discovery.

"What are we looking for again? I want to make sure I get this right." Rick stepped out of the passageway that they were creating. Mina picked up a holopad, a small handheld device in which she activated, producing a small 3D picture of a torpedo.

"Our benefactor wants us to procure Starfleet Torpedoes. There are a total of 74 that we need to collect. We are getting paid quite a bit for this little venture. No questions until we are back on base." The man named Rick nodded slowly, still seeming a little uncomfortable with carrying several kilos of explosive material off world. He gave the entrance he had made a look before turning back to Mina.

"I know we decided on the Grav-machine to get these to our ship, but are we really going to have enough time to get 74 missiles out of there? I am not used to more than a 6 minute mission." Rick seemed uncomfortable with a lot of things.

"Look, I know this isn't the usual, Rick. But we are getting paid a million per torpedo. That must be worth something."

Rick seemed to take this into consideration before giving her a toothy grin, moving on from his anxiety.

"Are you sure you can still handle a foot or so of metal?"

"Of course, unless in the past week I suddenly lost all my strength. Come on, Rick. Let's get this show on the road. Make sure the proximity alarms are off. I will wait for your go-ahead" Mina's voice was at a practiced low, and the man nodded, pulling off his welding goggles and setting off on a trot down the alleyway.

Mina never liked being this out in the open, but the payload was supposed to be worth it. She stretched for a moment, taking a look at the weaknesses caused by their short work, which had taken nearly four minutes to perfect. Her COM beeped at her lapel, and a voice whispered, "All ready". Mina lifted her leg and slammed it into the center of the mental, causing a groan, and then the siding of the warehouse gave way.

Mina pulled the large cart with her which followed behind her with a hum, hovering about a foot off the ground. The inside of the warehouse was vast, a large open space surrounded by shelving units stacked with boxes. Files, she guessed.

"Rick, I am in. Pull the Grav around so I can just grab this thing." Mina whispered into her COM quietly. The affirmative came from the other side of the COM and Mina made her way into the warehouse. It was fairly easy to find the Torpedoes, which startled her slightly. She expected weapons of this size and capability to not be available for anyone to see.

"74 Torpedos. This is going to be a bitch." Mina said under her breath before hefting one of the torpedoes onto the flat surface of the cart. She heard approaching footsteps and she looked over her shoulder to affirm that it was just Rick and Arno, just two of the five crewmates.

"You two take the other end, let's make double time, I don't like standing in the middle of a Starfleet warehouse with my pants down like this." Mina ordered after hefting another torpedo onto the cart. Mina thought carefully, the carts could carry 10 torpedoes each, five on each side of it. Even so, that would be at least 8 trips. She was not looking forward to this.

An hour passed, and Mina started to feel the anxiety climbing to unfathomable heights. They were finally finishing up, but they still had to get the Grav shuttle up and running. Just as she thought this, she noticed a red blinking light above one of the doors out of the warehouse, one of the doors they had avoided using.

"Arno, Rick, we are about to have some very, very, very unhappy company. Let's get out of here!" The two others nodded and started pushing their cart at a run. She allowed them out first and then followed into the Grav machine. She pulled the door closed, noticing that it was tight now in their medium sized cargo transport.

"They aren't here yet, we still have time to get out of here before they get ahold of our information." Arno whispered as he sat in the front, looking back for Mina to join him by the piloting. Mina followed up to the front, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the fact that they had tripped an alarm, even a silent one. It didn't matter, an alarm was an alarm, and a team was sure to be on their way. She took her seat next to Arno and flipped on the main thrusters, powering up the rest of the ship afterwards. She put the machine into drive, and it began forward, slowly making its way off of the ground and into the air. It was then that the spot light found their ship.

"Mina, get us the fuck out of here!" Rick was strapping himself in, and Mina pulled up hard on the controls, forcing their ship almost straight up, causing the other ship to swerve dangerously to the right to avoid a collision.

"This is Starfleet Security Captain Hans Coronor. Land your vehicle, or we will open fire!" The ship's COM screamed at them. Mina stopped the ship in midair, turning to look at her crewmates with an evil grin.

"Oh god, come on Mina. I told you last time, never again!" Arno put his forehead in his hand as Mina pulled up hard again on the controls, causing them to lurch upward.

Part 2

Mina straightened her uniform, consisting of a black tank top covered by an over shirt which was a dirty shade of grey. She finished buttoning her pants and took a last look in the mirror. Her hair was out of sorts a bit, black curls hanging to her shoulders in a haphazard fashion. She threw it back in a ponytail before turning and walking from her quarters.

They had arrived back from their mission the night before, and she had spent most of the night writing a report for "the good doctor" who was in charge of most of their missions. The base was a smaller one, mostly used for genetic manipulation and other experimental medical procedures. The idea always made Mina's skin crawl, since she had been one of those experiments.

Mina shoved the thoughts out of her mind, walking in rhythm towards the main medical center, where the torpedo pods had been deposited the night before. Dread filled her with each step she made, her shoes clicking against the metal flooring. The hallways were cold, but more than temperature. There was a clinical feel to the whole space-base. The windows showed nothing more than the blackness of space, stars speckling the darkness.

When she made it to the main medbase, she pressed the intercom.

"Doctor, its Mina."

The door slid open without a moment's notice and Mina stepped in through the opening. The main med bay always made her nervous. It was like being in the cage again. Trapped.

"Ah, Mina. I am glad you have come. I would like you to see my latest project. One you provided with me last night actually." Doctor Hauser was a middle aged man, salt and pepper hair that fell down past his ears. He was a normal enough looking man, but anyone who knew him just needed to look at his eyes, past the thin rimmed glasses he wore to know there was something past them that was sick and twisted.

Mina took a few steps forward towards one of the torpedoes that she had brought back from Starfleet. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that it had been opened, and inside there was not a box of fuses and wires, but a humanoid figure.

The doctor looked gleefully at the frozen humanoid, putting a hand on the case of the cryotube and looking back at Mina.

"You still owe me a great deal of money for the ship you destroyed on Planet Prime 4 on that gun run I had you go on. You made a good amount on this trip, but you will also owe me for your new upgrade."

Mina shuddered inwardly. This was how it always was. A circular trap she could never escape. Required upgrades and experiments made her more capable for the missions that the doctor sent her on, but the upgrades and experimental procedures required a great deal of pain. If she didn't get the tests and experiments, she would be seen as unfit to do missions, and then terminated as a part of their fucked up arrangement. Many of the missions were impossible without the destruction of their ship, or at least damage. She had flown into Klingon space several times within the past year. More and more, it seemed. It was more than that though. The doctor had something much more precious that he kept from her.

But none of that mattered. She barely felt human anymore in his company.

"Mina, my dear, are you listening?"

The stern voice brought Mina from her thoughts and she nodded at the doctor who seemed unsure if he believed her. His glasses glimmered in the florescent light from the ceiling, and he slowly shifted them on his face.

"Anyway, what was I saying… Yes. A good friend brought these torpedoes to my attention about a year back. But finding a good time to take them was the hard part, as you know. So many details, getting them shipped to that building, paying off the guards that night… Do you know what these are?" Hauser began walking through the rows of cryotubes disguised as torpedoes. Mina followed silently, looking in horror at the faces trapped in ice.

"Of course you don't know what these are, silly me." The doctor said with a cruel giggle that made the man seem even more insane. "These are Augments. Do you remember learning about those creatures, Mina?"

Augments. She knew that word well. Doctor Hauser had drilled the idea into her head over and over. The products of the Eugenic Wars. The strength and brutality of the augments had been Doctor Hauser's calling.

"I see you remember them from that look on your face, dear Mina. The Augments…the augments are perfection. What I have been reaching for all this time." Doctor Hauser took of his glasses and cleaned them absentmindedly, his eyes still boring into her, even as she knew he could barely see past his own nose.

Mina's throat was dry as she tried to smile. She knew what this meant. Her new upgrade, the new experiment, was going to be to her detriment.

"As you may remember, that ship that you destroyed on your last mission added a steep increase to your dues. You have oh so much to lose." Mina looked back at him as he slid his glasses back on his face. Anger boiled deep in her belly.

"In order to remain in my service, I require you to undergo the next step in the phase. You will have a few days to prepare, and if all goes well, you will have the abilities I need for your next mission. Then, maybe you can begin to pay off…_other dues_"

The cycle continued.

"And should I choose not to do this next phase doctor? Please, we have come so far, surely another upgrade would not benefit you…There are still a lot of jobs I can do." She knew she was on the edge of pleading with him. The idea of going under the knife again so soon after the last procedure was not one that she relished. Needles, scalpels, blood…her own blood.

The Doctor's eyes flashed at her and she was silent. That was all he needed to do now. The chains, the confinement, and the pain had made it all but easy to break her spirit.

"As you know, this is far from a choice Mina. That chip in your neck does more than just let me know where you are." As he said these words, Mina felt her skin itch on the left side of her neck. Technology these days allowed for a small computer chip the size of a dime to have enough explosive capability that it would completely sever her head should it be activated.

"I don't need to mention our main part of the deal, do I? What would your sister do without you?"

He took a moment of pause to let this last tidbit sink in. Her eyes flashed at him but she did nothing, choosing to take her defeat.

"This upgrade will be required. You are to help me awaken one of these Augments, and I will create a serum from their blood. You are to be the start of the next race of Augments. Isn't that nice?" His sarcastic tone was like glass under her fingernails. Anger rose into a lump in her throat, and she wanted nothing more than to slam the man's head into the side of the med bay walls until he was putty in her hands.

Mina stared forward, refusing to make any sort of emotive expression that let the doctor to see how she was truly feeling. This was not the time.

"Like a good dog, doing as you're told. Good girl." Her blood boiled, and more than anything, she wanted to cry out in anger. "Come over here and help me with this casing."

Mina slowly made her way over to the cyrotube and looked upon the exposed face. The doctor was at the control pad, and he flipped a switch that began to defrost the tube. The ice slowly disappeared, and Mina observed the long, thin face that slept so peacefully under their care. The figure was a man with short black hair, cut carefully outlining his face.

Dread continued to pound in her veins. For now there would be another subject for the doctor who played God. She pitied this creature, who would soon join her waking nightmare. Though he would be far less lucky than herself, if that was even possible.

"Mina, stop staring and do as you're told." His cold voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she hefted the lid off of the top of the tube with ease. She noticed that the doctor had armed himself. To an onlooker, it looked like nothing more than a small black box. But she knew, first hand, that all he needed to do was come in contact with skin on the rough side, and a series of shocks would shake the form he touched. It was enough to floor any human, or any creature that they had come in contact with thus far. Doctor Hauser placed the black box into his pocket, safely tucked away. He hooked up the Augment to a heart monitor.

Mina continued to watch the Augment's face. It was a strong face, but the skin told her a story of a war-ravaged past. As the cold evaporated, she could literally see his skin thawing. The heart monitor showed the progression of a heart awakening after a long slumber. Faster and faster it pumped, far past the normal for a simple human. She couldn't help but think to herself of the possibilities that the Augment brought. If he truly was what the good doctor had described, than he might be her only chance of escape from this place.

All thoughts of escape vanished as the Augment's eyes popped open and he sat up from the cyrotube. The Doctor made an excited sound and walked around the tube to come face to face with his treasure.

"Excellent! It worked!" Was all the doctor could say. The Augment looked at the doctor first before passing his eyes over Mina. She could tell nothing from his eyes, those sharp blue orbs peering out from a skeletal face. He sneered for a moment before slowly swinging his legs over the side and proceeding to escape from the cryotubes. The doctor had already started babbling, overexcitement bubbling form him.

"You are absolutely exquisite!" The doctor whispered following his stream of babble. The Augment moved so quickly that neither Mina nor the doctor were quite prepared. The augment's hand wrapped around the doctor's throat and he lifted the man to his own height. The doctor's feet dangled from the ground for a moment, and Mina's breath was caught in her throat. This was what she wanted.

Something took ahold of her, survival became more important than pride and she lurched forward barely hearing the low growl emanating from the Augment.

"Where is my family?"

Mina's fist came in contact with the side of the Augment's face. He stumbled back, confused and still delirious from his awakening. His eyes flashed towards her as he dropped the doctor to the floor and started towards Mina. He looked unphased by the actual impact of her punch and she prepared herself, bringing her fists to a ready position.

Mina shuddered as he came towards her. His figure was one to behold, taller than any normal man, yet lithe like a panther or wild cat. His eyes were flashing in blind rage, and once he was in range, he threw his arm out in a punch which she felt come in contact with her cheek. It was like an iron fist, and she felt the gravity of the hit. Pain exploded from the spot he had come in contact with and though she blocked another punch even as she was confused from the first. Mina felt slightly dazed from the throbbing that had begun from the jaw his fist had just come in contact with. She swung herself under his arm and gave him a swift kick that caused him to lurch forward. Mina grabbed his shoulders and threw him into one of the medical examination tables. He moved to get up, but doctor Hauser had regained his bearings and he quickly placed the black box on the man's chest.

The shock was immediate. Mina watched in horror as the Augment's muscles began to throb and his body to shake. She could see the pain in his eyes, just before he opened his mouth in a feral scream. Mina could not watch as the doctor waited for the shock to continue.

After a few moments, the box was removed, and the Augment was still. Alive, but unmoving.

"Well then. That was an interesting interaction. Cuff him and throw him into a holding cell." The doctor's voice was a distant nuisance that she would have rather ignored. But like a dead man walking, she grabbed the augments arms and followed the doctor's direction. Soon, like her, the Augment would be a test animal, poked and prodded until found to be useless. Soon, he would be outfitted with a chip like her, and her hopes for escape would diminish.

When she had finally muscled the augment into a cell, she saw his eyes begin to flicker open. He sat up from the bed she had laid him upon just moments before. He glared at her, and she felt it through her entire being. Rage, like a storm of fire destroying all in its path.

"I'm sorry." Was all that Mina could conjure up before checking the lock one more time and then retreating. She would be seeing him soon enough, of that she was sure.

* * *

I have spent the past few days looking this over and making small changes while also writing the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Please feel free to leave me comments. What did you like about it? What could use a little more work? I enjoy keeping a certain level of fluidity to my work. It is not a finished piece and is still in metamorphosis.

Thanks for reading so far! A new chapter is sure to be up within the next day or so.


	2. Chapter 2

Mina stood in the base's cafeteria. If you could call it that. It was more like an understocked kitchen with a few chairs and tables haphazardly placed around the freezing unit. She had made it out of her room early this day, but it was unheard of for her to show up to Doctor Hauser's med bay before he was properly prepared. Mina looked up when she saw Rick and Arno enter and start towards her.

Rick had been a great partner that she had known for four years. His hair always looked as if someone had tussled it constantly to the point of permanence. The brown strands fell around his face, accentuating an almost continual grin. Arno was much shorter, and much stockier than Rick. Short blond hair poked out of the grey fedora that usually rested upon his scalp. He had been a new addition to the team almost two years ago. Still this was not enough time for Mina to be confident about what kind of person he was. _How long had she been here?_ She wasn't even totally sure anymore.

Rick pulled a chair forward and sat, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at Mina as she pulled out a knife and began peeling an apple.

"This guy is going to be trouble." Rick said just loudly enough for Mina to stop what she was doing and look at him quizingly. Rick shrugged as he sat back in the chair.

"I am just saying, you are going to have your hands full with him. We tried to install the chip this morning while he was still asleep. Arno was lucky he didn't have his head pulled off from his shoulders."

Arno scoffed, looking at his shoes, not admitting any weakness or defeat. But the side of his face was bruised black, and there was no hiding the fact that he had lost whatever fight he had been in.

"He caught me off-guard, dick. I totally would have been able to take him." Arno muttered and leaned against a wall, his eyes digging into the back of Rick.

"Sure, whatever Arno. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Anyways Mina, you are a bit more upgraded than we are, so you might have some better luck. Will you have a look? Or at least get the Collar on him. We can deal with a chip later on, if need be." Rick seemed casual by the statement, but it made Mina shudder internally.

_Like a dog….Just like they had thrown her in a cell, beaten her until she couldn't move, and then slipped the collar around her neck. She remembered how that collar felt, cold and unforgiving against her clammy skin. _

"Of course I will take a look. Just remember, there is always going to be someone bigger and badder than yourself." It was highly convenient that she said this, as her "bigger and badder" had just walked through the door. Arno straightened himself against the wall, and Rick stood from his seat, his eye brows coming together as if magnets had suddenly been activated.

The door of the kitchen unit closed, and Mina swallowed hard. The chip in her neck began to itch again, this still directly stimulated by the memory of the man currently standing in the door way.

"Arion. What brings you to this side of the galaxy?" Mina said in a manner that made her feelings for the man quite clear.

Arion had been with Doctor Hauser for many years before Mina had ever become a part of the picture. He was a tall man, with platinum white hair falling passed his shoulders and falling perfectly to his shoulder blades. He had a thin face, with cheekbones jutting out, making him look slightly avian. Arion smirked, taking a few heavy steps towards her. She looked up at him, easily a head and a half taller than herself, and that was saying something, considering she wasn't a petite creature. Arion's smirk turned slightly into a sneer and he spoke.

"Ah, Mina my dear. How are you? It has been far too long." His voice reminded Mina of oil sliding down the side of something solid. A grotesquely horrible smoothness that made all the hairs on her body stand up straight. But perhaps that was just the memories.

"Doctor Hauser has asked that you take care of the prisoner's collar right away. This is the case because the two behind you are largely incompetent, I presume. He is transferring responsibility of the prisoner to you, though I am not sure that was much of an improvement from the new blood." He said this last piece with his eyes fixed on Arno and Rick.

Rick was a proud creature, but all of them knew they were nothing in this man's shadow. He gripped the bottom of his chair tightly until the knuckles began to pale and whiten.

The greatest accomplishment to Doctor Hauser at this point in time had been Arion, the best, the strongest, and the most ruthless. It had been Arion that had broken Mina to begin with, who had held her down with just one arm as he slid a long needle into her neck containing the very microchip that now remained there.

"I will do as the doctor asks. No need to get nasty, Arion. The prisoner is an Augment. Perhaps even you might have some difficulty with him." Her voice was boisterous. A challenge. And it had slipped from her lips before she could have contained the venom in her words.

He sneered again at her, and took a few steps forward until they were almost touching. He leaned down, his pupils turning a blood stained shade of red.

"Let me know if it becomes too difficult for a weakling like yourself. I hope you are right, Mina my dear. I would love for him to be a challenge. It would be much harder than it was to break your pathetic excuse for a spirit."

Rage on top of rage. It filled Mina's chest with hurt pride, but she said nothing. Choosing instead to focus on how it would feel to take this creature down.

"I knew all it would take was a few words about that sister of yours. Imagine if I had the pleasure to break her too…" Arion sidestepped the punch that Mina threw towards his face. Though she was fast, he was so much faster, and he had expected her heated response. His movements were unreal, and each time they had confronted one another, it was this that had become her undoing.

Arion grabbed her black curls in one hand as she lurched by him. As his fingers tightened over the curls, he lifted his other hand and brought a fist to the damaged side of her face. Mina knew it was over as soon as it began, and even as her body literally flew into the ground, she still felt the hatred coursing through her. Her head bounced on the concrete flooring and she felt the reverberation of his punch throughout her entire body. She opened her eyes, looking up at him as she slowly pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Arion's eyes flashed at her, and he pushed her back into the ground with his foot.

"Stay in your place down on the ground, weakling." He looked up at Rick and Arno, who were standing, but making no motion to come to Mina's aid. It was to be expected though when fighting an opponent like Arion.

"It is good that you know your place Mina. Under my boot." His smile made her feel sick, but she could not move.

"Well then, I am off. I have many tasks to do, all of which are more important than showing you all a lesson in strength and skill." Arion smirked again as Mina groaned, his foot still in the center of her back pressing down with immense pressure. He slowly lifted his leg before leaning downwards and giving a small whisper only Mina could hear.

"I shall tell Rebecca hello for you the next time I see her."

Mina groaned again as she slowly made her way back to her feet. She looked into his red eyes with her own blue, flashing promises of violent intentions.

Arion gave her a wink, which only served to make her even angrier. He stood to his full height and turned on his heal, leaving the small kitchen area with triumph. Mina got to her feet and wiped the blood from her lips, giving Rick and Arno a look of disgust.

"Come on Mina, don't look at us that way. Had we made any move…"

"He would have flat out killed us." Arno finished Rick's statement, and Mina knew it was true. Rick and Arno had been experiments starting no more than 4 years ago. Though Mina was younger than both of the men, she had undergone so many more experimental treatments. Some short in their duration, others taking longer to set in and take. Doctor Hauser's prized dog might have been Arion, but she was next on that line, and even though she hated it, there were some perks.

Like not getting her head repeatedly slammed into the ground until she had no face. As she had seen in the past.

"Look, it doesn't matter." She said simply, having neither words, nor trust for either of her comrades.

"Mina?" Rick paused cautiously, waiting for Mina to say something, anything. But instead, she started out of the kitchen, leaving the dull knife on the ground with her slightly peeled apple. As she exited the room, the door closed behind her, and she turned, slamming her fist into the wall, molding the steel plates into concave saucers beneath her. The human side of her wanted to weep in defeat, in knowing she would never be quite as good as Arion. The man was no longer human. He was vicious, and he cared for nothing but himself and the continual improvement he received to his own person. Pleasure and pain. Her thoughts slowly left the deranged human as she slowly began her journey down the hall.

_Rebecca Ellan Erie. Her sister… How long had it been? 5 years? No, must be longer than that…10? Could it have been more than that?_

Mina didn't really know how long she had been on this base. There was never much reason to fill out her schedule or take a look at the calendar. She had kept track of days in the beginning, when the pain had been at its greatest, but no longer. The days in space were all the same, no different than the last. Instead of living in a cage, she had been given a small room and the freedom to walk about the station, watched at all moments. Mina shook her head, wiping her mouth on her sleeve without much thought towards the blood that began to stain the khaki colored material. She headed towards the lift, placing her hand on the identification pad and calling up an elevator. She entered it, directing the machine towards the cells, where the Augment was housed.

Mina took a deep breath, trying to zero in on just how long it had been since she had truly been free, yet nothing came to the forefront of her mind. The memories of her childhood had been lost to the numbing of the drugs the doctor fed her during his little experiments. Always he attempted to destroy everything it was that made them human. Love, joy, peace, all were lost until nothing other than the anger was boiling within her. Slowly, the elevator came to a stop and Mina exited the big metal box. She walked along the hallway leading into the collection of cells she knew so well from the days long past, when she had been here herself. She willed herself to ignore the memories that always came up when she entered this place. Screams…screams from someone who couldn't have been her. The sound of weeping, begging for the mercy of anyone. Mina opened the main hanger door leading into the main cell block and she closed the door behind her.

Silence. Nothing stirred. Mina began to walk towards the back, her boot heels clicking against the floors rhythmically. At the end of the room was a cell, the only one occupied at the moment. In each cell, empty or not, there was a four poster bed made of cheap metal. There was a mat haphazardly thrown onto each bed covered by a tattered, used sheet, and a piece of cloth that could constitute as a blanket. There were necessities of course, a toilet in the back right corner of each cell and a sink that would provide the prisoner with some semblance of running water for washing.

In this particular cell, Mina saw the prisoner, the Augment, sitting upon what you might call a bed, his elbows on his knees and staring at the floor. When she slowed to a stop in front of the cage, the Augment slowly lifted his head to look at her.

Again, Mina was caught by surprise by those storms trapped in his eyes. A brilliant display of his inner rage and ire…it was beautiful. Slowly the Augment stood to his full height. He was probably the same height as Arion, if not just a touch taller. His hair was a mess, very unlike how she had first seen him, almost serene as he had slept in his cryotube.

He approached the side of the cage in which he was kept. Mina wanted to take a step back. She had no doubt from this moment that had Arno been in the cage any longer, the bruises he had would have paled in comparison to a missing limb. The augment wrapped long, pale fingers around the bars separating them.

"Are you here to stick more needles in me? I must be honest, I did not enjoy being prodded while trying to sleep, you know." His voice was a low rumble, or that is the way it reverberated in her. She didn't respond at first, which allowed for him to continue.

"You must be…Mina. The stupid ones came in, I bashed the tiny one against the cell, and then they mumbled something about getting a…Mina. You." There was no part of what he said that was a question. He was merely stating fact, and Mina was curious to see what else he knew from the point he was awakened until now.

"I am Mina. From what I understand, I am going to be with you for the next few weeks." She said simply, hoping that he would continue. He did not, and it seemed that he was waiting for her to say something besides her name. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, unsure how to proceed. It was seldom to never that she interacted with any new prisoners or prospects that the doctor brought to the base. He had always told her it was because she was far too unpredictable.

There were collars hanging on the wall, all primed and ready to go. It would have probably been easier for Rick and Arno to try and put one of those on him, rather than going straight for injection.

"I guess I should fill you in on what this place is…"

"No need. This is a medical base. It's derelict, so I would assume that we are not in the presence of Starfleet, which at first was much to my relief after the last time our paths crossed. I have no need of any further information on this subject." He paused for a moment, his eyes still moving over her as if scanning for the injury he had inflicted. Mina saw his eyes linger on her face, and the expression he had could have been likened to confusion.

_"_ I have been visited by the doctor, though I have no idea what name you call him by. He didn't need to explain much. You are obviously a genetic experiment as are the others that came by earlier. But in you… I can see it from the hue of your eye color, as well as a few tell-tale signs. There are puncture scars on your arms and hands, and you move much too easily to be a normal _human_." The last word was said with disgust, and Mina felt as if the man had prodded too far. How much he knew from such little interaction with all of them. The level of intelligence in his eyes troubled her, but mostly from the angle that he would now be her responsibility, and in proxy, her problem.

"Your doctor wants my blood to make a serum which would complete his work….you."

Mina had to forcibly keep her mouth closed as she stared at him. She tried not to make it obvious that every single thing he had uttered had been completely, and entirely correct.

"Is there anything you wish to add, Mina? Now that I have told you exactly what I know?" His voice was like the purr of a cat, throaty and deep. Mina opened her mouth, and then closed it.

"Well, you seem to have the main jest of what goes on here. This is a…derelict…medical base. It is currently run by Doctor Arnold Hauser, a specialist in genetic manipulation and enhancement. He…wishes to see how to improve the human condition. To make us…more than we are." Mina felt as if the speech was practiced. Over and over she had heard these words, until they had just been shielded from all the real feelings that she had about the place.

"Doctor Hauser has always been a fan of the manipulations that made the Augments. He has been trying to perfect his procedures for years now. With your blood, he will be able to finally do that." She couldn't help the look of disgust that must have been creeping over her face. Mina turned to look at the augment, wondering how this next part was going to go.

"I am here to put one of _these_ devices on you." She carefully avoided calling them as they were, collars to cage and enslave them. She motioned towards the wall before taking a few steps forward and taking one off the wall. She pressed a part of the collar and a metal bar slid out electronically, displaying the locking mechanism. Mina watched the man's eyes flash in anger.

"You would have me caged and collared like a dog? My dear Mina…you are going to have to force that on my neck for me to wear it."

Mina guessed that this would be his reaction. It had been her own as well, which is why Arion had been needed to come inside her cell and chip her.

"I know it's not ideal…"

"No, I don't think you understand. It is not ideal, it is not happening." His words vibrated in their finality, and Mina had half a heart to just run back out the way she had come.

"If you don't, you will rot in this cage. If I don't get this done, Arion will be asked to do it for me, which would be unpleasant in two major fashions." Mina shifted the collar in her hands before straightening slightly and staring back at the augment, finally feeling her spine running back from its fearful disappearance.

"First, it would be highly embarrassing, and quite possibly detrimental to my own health should I fail, assuming I was to fail to convince you. Secondly, I am much more reasonable…sane…than Arion, and his interference in this process would include a great deal of pain and other unpleasantness." Her voice remained strong, even as a smirk passed over the lips of the augment.

"You fought me when I had just awoken from cryo. You underestimate my strength with your lack of information, I fear." His gloating was apparent, and Mina ignored it easily. She didn't doubt what he said, he looked more than capable to handle himself. But there were some things that could only be learned from living in this place.

"I think you underestimate where it is you are, and who is keeping you here."

The augment regarded her after she said this, his eyes back to scanning her. The expression on his face told Mina that he didn't believe her, but still he remained silent.

Instead of arguing further, Mina regarded the augment for a moment. There weren't a lot of options at this point in time. The idea of opening the cage door and forcing the collar onto the augment's neck did not have much appeal to it. The last time she had fought him, she had gotten the upper hand just long enough for the doctor to use the shock device. Had they been fighting longer, Mina was sure that she would have lost to his strength and speed. Not only would entering the cage end with her dead or incapacitated, it would also precipitate the man's escape. Options flooded her mind, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to remain concentrated on what she needed to do.

Mina closed the space between them, approaching the side of the cage. The augment did the same, so they were looking at each other through the bars. His eyes were storms again, and Mina wondered if that was always the case. The emotions radiating off of him made her anxious, as if one plotting her revenge was standing beside her.

"What is your name?" She said quietly. After all their conversation, Mina felt as if she knew nothing more than she had started with. _Augment. Strong. Dangerous. _It was almost comedic.

"I am Khan." His voice was barely above a whisper, but all of the anger and resentment that Mina had observed in his simple movement and way of speaking culminated in this confession.

The confession of a name. Of a story untold.

She whispered his name, feeling the sound of it on her own tongue. Khan's eyes were burning into her, and she felt the heat of them looking past her, through her. All of her plots seemed transparent. Her hands slipped from the metal bars that she had grabbed. Her hands moved to hang by her sides, and her gaze suddenly met his own.

"Would you like to hear what I have learned about you, Khan?" Mina's voice drew his attention. It was obvious that he was curious as to her response.

"All I have seen so far is a clever person who knows they are clever." His eyebrows furrowed questioningly, but she continued.

"Egotistical, vain…Should I continue?"

Khan's hands shot out of the cage towards her, but she was a step ahead of him, twisting out of the way as her hands came back up from her sides. She slid the cuffs onto him before he had calmed from his quick anger. Khan gave an angry yell when he had realized what she had done, and he wretched his arms against the metal as hard as he could.

It was fairly obvious that his strength was ineffective against the cuffs she had stolen during her last gun run. He was fuming, even as she approached him again with the collar. His eyes reminded her like a wild animal's, as they were brought towards a cage for transports. He wanted to run, to gnash his teeth and fight to keep the collar from his neck.

That same feral, almost rabid disobedience.

Mina slipped her hands through the cage and clipped it around his neck. When it clicked closed, she felt Khan attempt to wretch his body from her. There was an electronic beep from the collar, which looked as if it was nothing more than a thin tubular piece of metal. A small green light glowed on the front.

"You are afraid of me, girl. You stink of it, your small glances and retreating nature is testament to your weakness. You should fear me, you have every reason to do so." Khan spat the words, confidence still dripping from each word he spoke, making them seem like truth.

Mina exhaled a breath slowly, still glad just to have gotten the job done without additional bruises. She placed her hand on one of the cuffs and the fingerprint reader allowed for the metal to drop off immediately, falling to the ground with a dull clank.

"Listen to me." Her sudden forcefulness gave him pause again. Just in the surprise of hearing what seemed like a meek girl, giving orders.

"I don't want to be here. You don't want to be here. I get it. But calling your best chance off this base a weakling and a coward is probably not the best start to a working relationship." Khan's face was stoic.

"Who says I need your help to get off this ship?" Though his face said nothing more on the matter, it was obvious that Khan was interested. Mina guessed that he was an opportunist, and for now, it might be enough for them to get along until a time came for escape.

"For reasons I actually just displayed to you." Slowly, Mina raised her hand and gave a little wave before continuing. "My hand print will unlock most things on this ship. Doors, security systems….cuffs and collars…I have the necessary knowledge and fingerprint to get you off this ship."

Khan seemed to silently contemplate this and he slowly moved to the back of his cell. There was silence for a few minutes, but Mina waited patiently. She had no more choice.

"Why would you wait for a partner when you could just escape yourself with all of that information? What is keeping you from leaving? Why do you need my help?" His questions were direct, but that did not surprise her at all.

Mina did not want to answer him. She had gained the upper hand for a moment, but as soon as she had, here he was, taking it back away from her.

"Mina." A stern, loud voice caused Mina to whip her head around. Back by the main hanger door, Doctor Hauser stood, his medical kit with him to extract blood. He slowly walked down the isle until he was a few meters away from them.

"Good, I am glad you have met my assistant, Mina. Spunky little thing, isn't she?" His voice grated on Mina's mind, and she fought a look of disgust that was threatening to cross her face. The doctor took another few steps forward and opened the pack.

"Augment, this will go much easier if you do as you're told. It will be less painful, and much faster."

Mina locked eyes with the augment and swallowed in a dry throat. Her anxiety lessened as he slid a long arm from inside the cage to allow the doctor access to his vein. Slowly, the doctor approached and quickly slipped a needle into Khan's arm.

"Oh, I am glad to see you are so receptive to this. I will be sure to remember when I consider when you can leave the cellblock." The doctor said this almost absentmindedly, simply talking to fill the silence.

"Mina, I think I can take it from here. You are dismissed." The doctor finished, taking out the needle and staring at the blood in the light. Mina nodded and slowly retreated, taking one last glance at the augment in his cage. His eyes burned into her with some silent promise she had yet to completely understand. And slowly, she made her exit, hoping that this would be the start to a most profitable partnership.

* * *

Salutations! There is chapter 2 in all of it's glory! I may choose to update it again and do another edit. But so far, it's looking good. I have a few tricks up my sleeve regarding the next few chapters. I know the relationship has yet to really develop between Khan and Mina, but only time will tell.

Please feel free to leave me a review! I really want to know what you all think!


	3. Chapter 3

Khan flipped his eyes from the retreating form of Mina to the doctor, now known to him as doctor Hauser. The prick of the needle was barely noticeable. He was used to be tested and prodded, his blood exploited for the benefits it could give _all the normal little people_.

The doctor was a nuisance, which was the least he could say. The man was jittery, as if he consumed too much coffee on a regular basis. Some of his muscles twitched every so often, but even so, his hands were steady as he took another vial of blood from Khan. A true medical man.

Hauser put the second vial into his freeze-bag. Khan watched him pick up another vial, and he wretched his arm out of the bars and backed into the corner of the cell.

"I think you have taken enough for now, doctor. I have questions for you about your intentions for my crew, as well as the blood you just took." Khan liked to think he was intimidating. And in most cases, this very action would have granted him some answers. The doctor seemed indifferent to the demands and he opened his bag again, taking out a modified looking scanner which he held up towards Khan. It hummed lightly as Khan waited for a response.

"I don't know where you have been on your travels, augment. But you are on my base now, and we do things a little differently. You see, I am the one who decides what happens to you and your….crew…after I am done taking what I need from you." The doctor paused, allowing his words to sink in. But it was obvious that the man was not finished.

"That collar on your neck is one of my favorite mods. Would you like to see how it works?" The excitement from the doctor did nothing to improve Khan's mood, in fact, he was sure this was surely not a show and tell he would benefit from, or enjoy for that matter.

"There are several things that the collars do. Firstly, I am able to see where you are on the station at all times. It shows me your heart rate, your blood pressure, the level of your hormones. It is quite helpful."

"I don't care about your stupid collar." Khan said under his breath, but either the doctor didn't hear him, or chose to ignore his ill-mannered comment.

"But what is truly wonderful about it, augment…" Hauser continued, his voice a little louder. The doctor lowered the scanner and took a few steps forward for effect. "If you are misbehaving, much like you are right now, all I have to do is press this button on my COM.." He demonstrated this, and Khan inhaled sharply. It began as a vibration in his neck, but it became hot. It was shocking him at a low level, but every moment that that doctor held down the button, he felt the increase of intensity.

Khan would not beg. He would not show weakness. But the longer that the button was held, the more intense the shocks became. Suddenly, Khan realized that he was unable to control his muscles which began to spasm erratically. Without himself willing it, his mouth opened in a scream as pain flooded his senses. He fell to the ground, his back arching as the shock increased still.

Had Khan been capable of hearing at this moment, he would have heard the doctor's gentle chuckle as he continued to scan the augment and watch the changes in his chemistry with the added electrical shock.

And suddenly, it all stopped. Khan felt his muscles relax and he collapsed against the concrete. It had become apparent to Khan that he had stopped breathing and he greedily breathed in the air, calming the burning in his lungs.

"I haven't even told you the best part yet!" The doctor continued gleefully, picking up the needle and a vial again and coming towards the bars of the cage. Khan looked at him warily, climbing to his feet slowly.

"Should I tire of you, and trust me, it would not take too long for that to happen, one little word would cause that tube to explode. I am not talking a small fizz, I am talking about your head, flung from your body at such a force." He paused for effect, his voice raising in pitch.

"Now. Reach your hand back out of the cage, and I shall continue."

Khan hesitated, his pride and survival instinct fighting for the reins in this current situation. Slowly, he slipped his arm through the bars for the doctor, who smiled sweetly and then plunged the needle into his arm, putting something in this time rather than drawing blood out. Upon realizing this, Khan began to withdraw his arm, but the doctor quickly grabbed hit, pushing it into a sort of modified arm bar against the cage. Though the doctor did not seem particularly strong, the position in which Khan was in was not to his benefit, and he watched as the rest of the liquid was released into his system.

The effects were almost immediate, either that, or Khan's body was being preemptive, warning him against the alien substance now running in his veins. He felt his muscles sag slightly, his stance weaken.

"Your crew are my insurance for your continued good behavior. Let me explain further. There is nothing, bar none, that I would enjoy more than taking one of your little crew mates, setting them down on my medical examination tables, and dissecting them alive. Truly it would be a marvel for science, to be able to see the tissue and organs working the way they should, even for a short while."

Khan's eyes closed in complete misery. It was as if fate was repeating itself over, and over, and over again. Always it was him, suffering to protect the ones he loved while they slept. Why would they never be left alone?

"So, augment. I will use you until you become of no use to me. You and your crew. The longer that you keep yourself useful, the better."

Khan was barely holding himself up now. His knuckles whitened as he held onto the edge of the four poster bed. Whatever the doctor had given him, it was becoming painful to resist the feeling of his muscles shutting down.

"The next time you open your eyes, you will be in one of our holding rooms while I decide what use I can make of you." The doctor wasn't finished talking, but Khan felt his eyelids getting heavy. Everything was disoriented, and he struggled to hold onto anything he could reach.

"You should start getting used to the idea of being a slave, augment. The sooner you accept it, the less of a mess we have to make getting you there." Khan was barely conscious, and slowly, the weight of his body dragged him to his knees. He turned his blue-grey eyes to the doctor, a dumbfounded expression taking ahold as the drug worked his nerves.

"I will never be your slave." Khan managed to mutter definitely. But Doctor Hauser seemed to take great pleasure in hearing these words. The collar around his neck began to vibrate again, and Khan groaned internally. The shock began, and he felt his already tired muscles undulating to the increased voltage. His mouth opened in a silent scream and his back arched again, causing him to fall away from the bars and into the middle of the cell. More and more pain flooded his mind, until Khan was sure he must be going insane. He could feel his arms and legs shaking, completely out of control, heat filling every molecule of his body as the voltage went up.

The doctor watched in silent amusement as the augment's body flailed against a force no one could see. Hauser stopped the shock, and the augment's body fell limp. He moved no longer, other than the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"We shall see about all of that, augment." The doctor murmured before clicking his COM on by his lapel.

"Mina, come collect the augment and putting him in a secondary holding cell. I want him to get comfortable before I introduce him to Arion."

There was an affirmative on the line, and the doctor seemed to be satisfied. He slowly collected his things and placed them meticulously back into his medical bag. He slung the thing over his shoulder and began walking towards the exit. He opened the main security door to find Mina already there, her face as blank as ever when she was around him.

"That was fast. I wish you would show the same level of initiative in all the things you do." His words succeeded in making her uncomfortable, and her eyes darted away from his. He did not wait for an answer from her and instead sidestepped her and began down the hall. He entered the lift and put in his destination. He smiled and gave a small wave to Mina, who waited until the doors closed to move.

Mina sighed in relief when the man was finally gone. Slowly, she made her way to the cell that Khan occupied. Her heart sank quickly when she saw him lying there, his arms unceremoniously cast out from his sides, and his hair in disarray. He was a mess. He was already dirty from being in this section of the station, and a small burn had begun to develop around his neck where the collar had laid for just a few hours now.

_No one should be treated like this…._

Mina willed herself not to care at the moment, as she had a job to do. But it was always easy to numb everything out. A skill she was sure she had developed in this place. She approached the cage and typed her name into the small computer pad. When prompted, she placed her hand on the screen and the cage popped open with an electronic 'click' resounding in the silence. Slowly, she placed cuffs around the augment's hands, though it seemed silly really, since she could feel his slow, unconscious pulse when she placed her hands on his wrists.

_Protocol_

It took all of Mina's unnatural strength to pick the augment up, as an army officer might do, slinging him over her back.

"You're a heavy son-of-a-bitch," She muttered to him, knowing he couldn't hear her. She began towards the exit, feeling slightly silly for lugging the man around on her back, but orders were orders. When she made it to the elevator, she allowed him to slide off her back and onto the grate floor of the lift. She punched in her code, and placed her hand on the console.

As the lift began to move, her eyes returned to Khan, his head slumped to the side. She approached him and placed her hand on the collar she had forced onto him. Regret filled her for a moment. The idea of letting Arion into a room with the augment gave her a terrible feeling. Even if the augment was stronger than anything that the doctor had created, there was still a fundamental difference. It had been years since Arion had needed a chip in his neck or a collar hanging from his shoulders.

Arion was trusted by the doctor. And Mina knew better than anyone else, that with the chip or the collar, strength meant nothing.

_Mina spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor, on her hands and knees in front of a standing form. It circled her, until his feet were in line with her own. She felt a wire slipped around her neck, and too tired to fight or struggle, she felt the line tighten. She couldn't breathe, and she rose to her knees in order to keep breathing. Arion chuckled quietly as he pulled the wire taut. Mina began to struggle violently, her fingers ripping deftly at the wire, trying to get under it. She was choking._

The elevator halted with a lurch, and Mina was jolted from her memories. She slung the augment back up onto her shoulders. She walked carefully down a long corridor before stopping in front of a door and opening it.

These rooms, the secondary cells, were just slightly better than the cages that all of the patients began in. Each room was equipped with a hospital bed, comfortable enough, a side table, a toilet, a sink, and a small dresser. Each room also featured a small camera in two upper corners. No privacy.

_Mina's eyes bored into the lens of one of the cameras that was pointed towards her. It was all she could focus on, until the wire was dropped and she collapsed on the floor._

_"Submit, Mina."_

_Her response had been to spit another mouthful of blood on the ground, which Arion took as her answer. Mina was dragged around to look at Arion, and lifted from off the ground. His eyes were that shade of red that appeared whenever he was in a blood frenzy. When he had started to truly enjoy himself. Then, she felt herself crash into one of the walls, falling on the dresser and taking it down with her. She hadn't had time to recover, for she clearly began to feel the vibrations starting from her neck and traveling through her limbs. She climbed to her feet, stumbling for a moment, and launched herself at Arion, trying to grab, to tear, to rip apart. But before she could take another step, the shock increased and she sank to her knees in defeat._

Mina deposited Khan onto the bed and pulled the cover over half of his body. As quietly as she could, she walked over to the sink and wet a cloth before returning and sitting on the very edge of the bed. She dabbed at the burn on his neck, trying to remove at least most of the dirt from wedging itself into the abrasions.

It was odd to her, to look at his unconscious form when he had seemed so powerful, lashing out at her in any way he had been able. Now, he was the weak one, to the mercy of all. Mina put a small amount of ointment on the burn and stood, still looking at the unconscious body of Khan. Her memories bubbled to the surface again, and she was unable to contain them.

_"I said, Submit, slave." _

_The shock had continued, until this point, and again she denied him. She felt his hand descend into her curls, wrapping each one of his fingers in the strands before pulling her back up and throwing a fist across her face. The force of it floored her, but he didn't stop. Again, he lifted her by her hair, like a rag doll, and smashed his fist against her face again. _

He had no idea how much depended on him, and Mina sighed lightly before taking the cuffs off his wrists and making her exit. The next few days were going to be hell for him, and Mina knew that there was no way that Khan could ever be prepared for what came next.

* * *

"You called, doctor?"

Arion's slick voiced shattered the silence of the med-bay, but the doctor didn't respond. He continued to study the consul screen, observing the configurations of chromosomes of the augment. Arion knew to remain silent, but slowly he made his way to stand next to his master.

Arion could care less about chromosomes and genetics. To him, anything that would make him stronger, faster, and smarter didn't need a name. He just wanted results.

"Arion, did you check in on our new guest?" The doctor said quietly, typing a few words into the consul and observing the formula change on the chromosomes.

Arion nodded slowly. "He seems comfortable enough for now. His neck will be sore for a few days, the shock collar gave him a bit of a burn." He smirked and then continued.

"I still don't see why I have to break him. As much as I enjoy the idea of the man on his knees begging for the pain to end, I am sure that brat Mina could handle it well enough." He literally spat out Mina's name, and the doctor stopped typing, mid key stroke, and swiveled in Arion's direction.

"I am concerned, Arion. Mina seems to be responding emotionally to the augment. I can't have her starting to feel again, at least not on this level. We must isolate her from any sort of feeling, you understand." Arion didn't seem to completely understand, but he nodded still. The doctor stood and walked towards the bay window, looking straight out into space. Arion followed suite, standing a full two heads above the man. He waited for his master to continue.

"Since I was dismissed from Starfleet, I have been working tirelessly to complete my work. Admiral Marcus was a fine man, who had the right idea for Starfleet. Can you imagine it, Arion? A fully militarized fleet of humans, evolving across the stars?" Arion turned his eyes to the doctor, hoping the man would reiterate his words.

"Evolving, doctor?"

"With each new planet found, Arion, a new set of traits could be accounted for, synthesized, and formulated to make us better. Nothing could stop us." The doctor looked past the glass, the stars reflecting on the lenses of his glasses.

"Invincibility. The most true form." This last comment caused Arion's back to stiffen, and a smirk to come to his lips.

Arion shared the same desires as his master, and it was what had brought them together, and kept them so close. Arion desired nothing more than to be the best. And each upgrade gave him a high, a boost of confidence and…something else, which brought him immense pleasure. To dominate over the universe…He could only imagine.

"Doctor Hauser, I still don't understand Mina's part in all of this. We have worked so hard to keep her in line, to continue her dosages without her knowledge. She is strong, there is no doubt about it. But is all of this effort worth it for a stubborn trouble-maker?" Arion knew that his emotions regarding Mina were conflicted, but his hatred for a possible competitor always won out.

The doctor looked at Arion and said nothing, instead turning back to his console and taking his seat again. It looked as if he were doing a puzzle, piecing together bricks of human genetics, attempting different combinations for a desired result. Arion wanted to roll his eyes at the man. He could never get a straight answer out of the doctor when he really wanted one.

"Arion, do you understand what empathy is?" The question brought Arion back from his brooding thoughts and he hummed in the affirmative.

"Of course. Feelings and emotions, and all that nonsense." The doctor laughed at this response and paused.

"There are people out there, Arion. Normal human beings that have the potential to see straight through people. They use visual cues and some sort of instinct to read the emotions of others." The doctor was not finished, but took a long pause.

"Imagine now, Arion, if a simple human could also hold the ability to influence those emotions, just by thinking, or willing it to be so. Imagine being able to refine this ability so that those emotions turned into will. Theoretically, a human with this ability could use the emotions of a victim, intensify it, and will the person to kill themselves."

Arion said nothing. The look on his face was that of shock.

"So what do you think, Arion? Worth the trouble?" Again, Arion stayed silent, understanding everything much more clearly now.

"So…if she were to realize the truth about Rebecca…" Arion began quietly, waiting for the doctor to finish his statement.

"That is why we must make sure that things remain as they have been for 15 years." The doctor said curtly, continuing to study his console. Arion shifted uncomfortably and folded his arms behind his back at a silent attention.

"I desire to keep Mina. Yes, she is quite a handful, but until I decide she has become useless, I would like to strengthen her as much as possible. As much as I would like to cut her further involvement with the augment, I need to keep her involved with my main plans. I can only hope that one day she will choose the correct path as you did, and become a part of our family."

Arion's eyes narrowed. He could not see that happening any time soon, but he nodded nonetheless.

"And what are your orders in regards for the augment?" Arion asked quietly.

"While we are doing these experiments, I can't have a loose cannon around. Bring Mina, show her how it is done, and get that man under control."

At this, the doctor raised his hand and waved it in a dismissive fashion, which Arion took seriously. Arion turned on his heel and exited the med bay leaving the doctor alone to do his work. As Arion stood alone in the elevator, he thought about how he would break the augment.

_It will be like every other human I have destroyed. It will start with heavy resistance, he will fight me. But I will laugh as I watch the spirit die from his eyes and the fight die in his muscles. _

Arion made his way down the hall of secondary cells and he stopped in front of the occupied room, staring at the white metal separating him from the augment. A sick smile slowly appeared on his face. The secondary holding cells always brought back such fond memories for him. His sick mind revolved around the night that he had finally heard his favorite words from Mina and he allowed the memory to emerge from his mind.

_"If you don't say it, I will continue. I will beat you until you can barely breathe and then start all over again, Mina." He chuckled darkly, looking at the girl's crumbled form on the floor. She was sobbing, tears watering down the splotch of blood under her face. Still she said nothing, and he pulled her up, unsheathing his knife. He stood behind her, grabbing and twisting the arm he knew he had dislocated. She screamed a blood curdling scream, and he raised the knife to her neck, letting the sharp serated edge bite against her neck. _

_"And once I finish with you, I will go to Rebecca's room." Mina's sobbing stopped suddenly, as if her vocal cords had been ripped out willingly._

_"Do you want to know what I will do to her? It won't start like this. I will start with her mind, poking and prodding, touching that beautiful pale skin she has…I wonder if she'll like it. I wonder how long it would take for me to tire of her." _

_Still, Mina said nothing. Her body was shaking beneath his hands, and he could feel her legs turning to jelly. She gave a little hiccup, and Arion smiled, finally finding the girl's naked weakness. When she still did not answer, he swept her legs from underneath her and slammed her into the ground on her bad shoulder. Mina screamed again and he lowered himself to one knee, pushing a hand against her face so that it was pressed onto the ground. _

_"Submit!"_

_When the words finally came from her lips, he felt a sense of victory. It had been a long time since he had found a challenge like Mina, who was so easily able to endure through the greatest of pain. _

The screams would start soon, and Arion looked forward to his work. Slowly, the door closed behind him, and there was only silence.

* * *

First off, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my story. It's been a while since I have written anything I was really proud of, and this story has really been challenging me. I am trying very hard to take my time, because Khan and Mina's relationship is not going to be an easy one, and I don't want to rush anything.

Secondly, I live for reviews! They let me know what I am doing right, and what I may need to expand on. It is very important that I hear from all of you lovely readers! So please, take a moment and let me know what you think. Don't worry, I have tough skin, I can take it. ;)

I will continue to ponder and write, and hopefully I will be able to pump out another chapter very soon.

And last, but not least, I would like to thank AvalonTheLadyKiller, who was kind enough to leave some very kind words that have encouraged me, and set me on a path that will hopefully end with me finishing this story. :3


	4. Chapter 4

Mina ran at a jog. Worry filled her, and she quickly took the turn around to the secondary cells. As she turned the corner she slowed immediately, feeling the force of her run continuing, and throwing off her balance for just a moment before she corrected herself. She straightened her jacket and continued again at a slow, and measured gait.

Arion gave her a side look, watching her as she approached him. She stopped before him at attention, her well measured control slipping on her face. Arion could see it, and his eyes flashed at her in a warning.

"I took the liberty of introducing myself to the augment. He has a sour disposition, and I don't care for it. Clean him up, will you? I tire of this nonsense." Mina's eyes darted to the door worriedly. It was not often that Arion should tire at a new play thing, but there was something in his eyes that also was a mystery. Could it be…_defeat_?

"Too much to handle, Arion?" Mina said quietly, unable to help herself. To see Arion fail was one of the only things she could say made her day.

"Careful Mina. You might be the doctor's favorite little project, but push me and I will make you scream. Again." Arion's eyes narrowed and Mina looked down. But it was still a victory in her mind.

"It won't take long for him to fall. I know what it is he wants, his precious cargo that is so dear to him. Wonder how much pain it will take for him to forsake them." He mused for a moment, but quickly cut to the chase.

"Now, go in and prepare him. The doctor is working on the serum, and it should be done soon."

Mina nodded, and passed Arion without another word. She opened the door and looked back to see him retreating. She entered the room and groaned inwardly. Khan knelt by the side of the bed, crouched over slightly. His arm was upon the surface, as if he had been contemplating rising to his feet, but could not yet do so. There was a slow drip, and Mina took a few steps closer, noticing first a pool of blood under his face. Khan heard her enter and his face whipped up, his eyes flashing like a caged animal.

It was different, she remembered herself in his shoes, clutching for balance and crippled by shame of weakness. But his eyes were feral as he prepared to defend himself even in his injury. Mina thought about the sedative he had been given, and knew that he was more vulnerable than ever, and far more dangerous.

He seemed to not recognize her completely, as he pushed himself up to his full height finally, stumbling a bit before regaining total control.

It made Mina want to cry. That same look of pain, of anger, of desperation. She recognized it even as she looked on the face that was now almost completely unrecognizable. There were bruises, black and blue, that spotted the pale skin of his face. His nose was broken, and she realized that the blood had come from there as well as his lip which had been split open as well. Up and down his arms were cut marks, and Mina cringed at her own memory of Arion's blade.

Mina took a deep breath and put her hands up, empty and open. Khan seemed to get the message, and the feral gleam in his eyes began to recede. Mina stepped closer and the man swayed. She quickly grabbed his arm and helped him into a sitting position onto the bed.

"What do you want? I am not exactly in the mood to chat." Khan said this coldly, carefully retrieving his arm from her soft grip.

"Orders are orders. The bastard does the dirty work, I clean up the mess." She responded coolly as well, opening the pack on her hip containing her rudimentary medical supplies. "Just sit down and relax. As much as you can at the moment."

He continued to regard her with a sense of aloofness, and did not flinch as she put disinfectant on his arms.

"I don't need any of this you know. My body's capacity to heal surpasses your own. This will all be gone by tomorrow."

Mina rolled her eyes, she was bored of his superiority complex but kept her mouth shut on the matter.

"This gives us an opportunity to come to an understanding on our next steps." Her words were a little cryptic regarding their escape, but he was quick enough, and nodded.

"Arion seemed to be slightly…distressed by his time with you. Glad to see you are still here." Mina said absentmindedly before continuing on his arms. There were so many cuts, and they were deep.

"We have more important things to talk about. Do you have a plan?" His voice was short and slightly bored.

"Before that, I need to tell you. We cannot leave without finding Rebecca, my sister. I don't know where she is, and I will not help you escape until we get her. I will not leave her to the same fate as me." Mina looked at Khan's face to see a look that was continually cold and calculating.

"Which is where I come in."

"Yes, exactly. I cannot find her and fight off Hauser and Arion alone. You are strong, fast, and intelligent. With your help I could get her out of this place."

Khan considered this and remained silent.

"I accept your need to find your sister. But it will make this a touch more difficult. For you see, I will not leave this station without my family. The torpedoes must be found and taken as well. This of course will be priority to your little problem."

Mina bit her lip for a moment as she finished wrapping his second arm. It had been difficult to collect the torpedoes to begin with. Now, she would have to figure the trips it would take to collect them into their escape. Things were getting complicated very quickly.

"Find them, and then we will discuss the finding and collecting of your sister." Mina purposely pushed the cloth on which she had dribbled disinfectant on onto the side of his face roughly. A normal person would have cried out, winced, or otherwise reacted. He had felt it, but had held onto his control. In effect, Mina felt silly for her attempted revenge.

"Is your sister worth the trouble Mina? Is she worth dying for?" Khan's question stopped Mina, and she responded in kind.

"Is your family worth it?"

There was silence between them as she continued cleaning his cuts on his face.

"This station has a security office I am sure. Find the torpedoes and your sister by filtering the ships life forms. It should be easy enough." Khan said simply, rising from the bed and walking towards the back corner of the room. The distance made it quite clear how he felt, and Mina felt similarly.

"As always, easier said than done. But yes, that would work well."

"It seems strange that you haven't done it before. How do you know she is still alive?" Khan exhaled, showing that he thought less of her.

"It's a little difficult when I was in the same position that you stand in now. I was…disobedient to say the least. So they had to keep a tight leash on me. In regards for my sister…I don't need to look at a computer screen to feel her still alive."

Khan accepted the answer, though he didn't seem confident in it.

"You still have your chip, don't you." It was clearly not a question, and Mina instinctively rose her hand to the left side of her neck. She could feel the thin piece of metal move underneath her fingertip and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"I can take care of that. From what I understand, it's not triggered to explode if it is stimulated. Lucky me, I guess. But I cannot do anything about it until it is time to go. Otherwise, the doctor will see discontinuity with my location, and that of the chip's."

"And our way off this station would be?" Khan moved on, not seeming to care much about her problems, and instead focusing on the actual escape.

"Two ways. The medium transport I used to get you and your crew on here, or the escape pods, which would leave no room for extra passengers other than us three."

"The cargo ship it is then. You need to figure out a way to have it prepped for our departure, including my crew." The finality of Khan's words made Mina feel as if the conversation were over. She slowly put the medical supplies back in her pack and simultaneously watch him as he paced back and forth underneath the cameras.

"They will assuredly be drugging your food. That same injection they gave you earlier can also be synthesized for putting in food. They will not want you to have your strength. And this will take time, meaning you will have to endure Arion again."

Khan paused before giving a response, but it was the same cockiness that she was learning to expect from the augment.

"Let me worry about Arion. As for the drug, when the time comes to escape, nothing will keep me from what I need to do." Mina was satisfied, and stood from the edge of the bed, looking at Khan again.

The bruising and lumps that had been forming stopped their progression, and Khan's eyes had returned to a more normal gleam. He was strong, and steadfast in his desire to escape by any means.

"I will likely see you again soon. Arion will not stay away for long from his task. Prepare yourself." She made to leave, but Khan beckoned her back.

"Then you shall hurry. Don't make me wait." Mina continued out the door and closed it. She locked it with her hand print and started down the hall. She stopped when she was about to pass her own private prison.

All she could think of was Rebecca, somewhere on the ship, cold and alone. How _did_ she know that Rebecca was still alive? She had no proof, but that feeling in her gut, screaming out to the presence of her blood. No, she knew. And she would have to move quickly.

A memory bubbled to the surface from years ago, before either of them had ventured off planet. They had gone to the beach, and Mina remembered how they had walked together, talking of the future.

_"I am going to see the stars one day Mina. Those big, beautiful orbs of energy…can you imagine?" Rebecca looked into the setting sun, hope and delight mixed in her green eyes._

_"What will I do without you though? When you go to see the stars?" Mina said quietly behind her elder sister. Rebecca locked her fingers amongst Mina's and looked at her with a smile._

_"Come on, silly, you will be right there beside me. Looking into the endless ocean of gleaming lights." Mina smiled and nodded, clutching Rebecca's hand tightly._

_"Nothing shall ever part us, you and I. No matter what, we will always take care of one another."_

If only it had been completely as they thought. The following weeks saw the death of their parents aboard one of the ships of Starfleet, leaving the girls without a home, and without a family. They had found their stars, but at a great cost.

When the doctor had revealed his interest in the sisters as experimental subjects, it had taken endless begging from Mina to keep him from using them both. Mina traded her freedom and free will for the safety of Rebecca.

So at least one of them might one day escape with their humanity.

Mina started towards her quarters, thinking darkly about the task at hand. Before they had found Khan, it would have been impossible for her to get to the security room without questions being asked as to her purpose. But now, perhaps everyone would be distracted enough for her to steal a quick moment there.

* * *

Sorry for a bit of a wait on this chapter! I have been distracted, and I needed to do some reworking on the next part of the story. It's a bit of a short chapter, but necessary for the coming action. :D

I would like to take the time to thank AvalonTheLadyKiller again for her helpful comments. Also, thanks to all my other readers who have also left their encouragements!

I hope to have a new, LONGER chapter up very soon. Thank you all for reading so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

A day passed, and after each meal, Khan realized that it was as Mina had said. His muscles were still not working to their normal capacity. He felt…weak. As if his strength had been slowly sapped from every muscle. Khan remembered the injection that the doctor had given him, and the continual weakness after he ate or drank. He cursed under his breath, flexing each finger at a time. A first step in which he followed with his arms and legs, stretching them and testing their limits.

He hadn't slept much that night, but it was to be expected in this place.

Khan's thoughts moved towards Mina, his means of escape.

Mina, what a strange anomaly. Her outer shell was convincing, that she didn't care about the situation that she was in. It was similar to what he saw in himself, pushing away all cares and desire of his own in order to protect what he loved. He wondered if he gave her too much credit, but there was no doubt that her many years here had affected her. He had first been shocked by her eyes, though brilliant and shining unnaturally blue, looked as if they had seen horrors. But more so, they looked tired, as if sleep no longer was a part of her life.

But there was one thing he could not get around. She still _stank_ of humanity, of the weakness that was inherent in her species. Her willingness to submit to pain made him sick, and that was enough to want to leave her behind. All of the strength that she had gained had been wasted on other humans. Once he had his chance to escape, he would leave her here, of that he was sure.

The door to his new prison opened, and he looked unto the face of Arion. Slowly, he rose to his feet unsteadily, not liking the idea of being so weak in the presence of this particular man.

"You should probably sit back down, augment. I don't want you to hurt yourself before I have the chance." Arion's slick voice still annoyed the hell out of Khan, but he remained silent, and standing.

"The pain you cause me is nothing compared to what I plan to do with you."

Arion smirked and chuckled darkly.

"You sure talk tough for an experiment without all of his shiny toys in working order"

Khan took another moment to truly look at the man. Monster was plastered all over his face, from the sick smirk that was painted across his face, the red gleam in his eyes, and even the way he held himself. Khan smelled something foul about the man, and he refused to sit back down.

"In case you forgot from our last meeting, my sole purpose here is to correct any silly misconceptions you have about how this next part of your life is going to go. You are going to be dissected, your good parts cut out and used for the progression of our plan. I am here to show you who your new master is."

There was a pause, but slowly, Khan lost control. It started as a quick exhale of breath, but quickly turned into a laugh. Arion's eyes flashed, and the man was obviously offended.

"From the way that people seem to tip toe around you, I would have thought you were actually intimidating. But honestly, come on, I am disappointed. You can't even face me when I have my strength, you have to hide behind all of your drugs and injections to even feel comfortable walking into the same room as me. Leave and find someone else who is better, because there is no way I can take you seriously."

Arion took a few steps forward in challenge, but before he had decided what he was actually going to do, his COM beeped. It stopped the man in his tracks, but his eyes dug into Khan, looking as if he was willing Khan to burst into flame. To say the least, it didn't work.

The COM beeped again, and Arion finally tore his eyes from Khan and turned to give himself some sense of privacy.

"This is Arion."

"Where are you right now?"

Khan recognized the doctor's voice, and continued to listen.

"Secondary Cells, deck 4."

"Is Mina with you?"

Arion paused, turning back and glancing sideways at Khan before responding. The man looked guilty, and Khan wondered if it had been the plan to have Mina join the two men in this very room. He half smiled at the thought of how much less intimidated he would have been with her there as well.

"No."

"Probably best. I need you to bring my augment to the Experimental Ward, deck 21. We are ready for testing, and I need a steady transfusion of blood from him to make it work."

Again, there was a pause, and Arion seemed to be struggling to follow the order he had just been given.

"He hasn't been broken. I think I should spend some time getting him acclimated to our way of doing things…."

"No. The drug is still in his system, so he should be weak enough for you to bring him up. Our timetables are moving up. Understood?"

Arion's face scrunched as if he had tasted something sour. Khan realized that the man must have been looking forward to causing him bodily harm, but he knew how things worked, he didn't need to be taught. Arion was going to fall in line and follow orders.

"Yes sir. I will be up in about 15 minutes."

Khan felt his legs shaking slightly, but still he stood.

"It's your lucky day. Let's go." Arion said simply, approaching Khan and taking ahold of his arm, which Khan ripped away quickly. Arion smirked at this and slammed a fist into Khan's stomach, causing him to double over for a moment. It was quite clear that Arion had been manipulated into a machine, for the force of his fist was like a truck running into him at high speeds.

"Like I said, let's go."

* * *

Mina looked both ways down the hall before she walked into the security office aboard the station, a small dark room filled with monitors that hadn't been used in quite some time. She sat at a console after waiting for the door to close with a mechanical whisper.

The system didn't give her much trouble. A simple security password and a handprint was all that was needed to get in. Mina had attempted a search for Rebecca before, but that was several years ago. At least…it must have been several years ago. It hadn't worked in her favor that time, as Arion and the doctor were able to track her by her chip at all times, and she hadn't had enough time to hone in on anything other than the engineering crew downstairs. It probably wouldn't have been possible this time without Khan, the new experiment, being present. He was the perfect distraction for the doctor and Arion, giving her some needed privacy.

If she knew one thing, she could not leave the station without Rebecca. Mina's younger sister had been her only guiding light, the only remnant of her past that kept her sane and human. All else had been removed but that small hope that they would be reunited.

The system was outdated, but it did what she needed it to. She quickly brought up the floor map of the station, searching for a life sign under the name REBECCA, which brought up no results. She tried ERIE as well, their shared last name, but again, nothing was brought up, not even her own signal. The map had small glowing nodes for the life signs aboard, and Mina looked quizingly at the right side of the image, where 42 life signs were crammed into a small ship. Mina recognized the ship as the one that she had brought the torpedoes aboard in, and she wondered why the doctor might place them there.

_Could he be planning on leaving?_

Mina knew that this would hinder her desires to escape this place, as it seemed clear that Khan cared nothing for everything but his _family_. Not only that, it meant that they had limited time. If there was something Mina knew about the doctor, he never did things too far in advance. Nothing the man did was random, and seeing the pods arranged in the ship showed that Mina and Khan's timetable would have to move up, and they had barely even had time to talk about their escape.

Khan. She had not seen him at his full strength, but she didn't need to in order to understand that he was a force to be reckoned with. He seemed loyal enough to the task at hand, but she didn't know how far that loyalty would get her. His speed and strength would rival even that of Arion, who could easily blow right through her. If she was not careful, Khan could easily turn against her.

Mina's eyes focused on the screen, turning towards the secondary cells and bringing up the camera feeds from that room. She was startled to see that no one was there, and the room was completely empty. Panic began to settle in her belly. Not because Khan had escaped, because that was impossible without a handprint and a password that he would have no access to. Someone had gone and collected him.

Mina scrambled to search the ship for life forms. There were not many people aboard this station, as the doctor had a small base on a separate planet not far from this station. She brought up a filter on the map of the station, looking for known and named life forms. Rick and Arno were labeled respectively GRACUS and SMITH, their last names, and were currently in the common space that they all shared. A few crew members were labeled as well, mostly located in the engineering bays to keep the life support going, but other than that the station was largely empty. She continued to search, starting to feel the panic growing.

Experimental Deck. Four life forms, one labeled as , and one other labeled simply as ARION. The two others were left intentionally blank. Mina knew that if the doctor was in the experimental ward, and Khan was no longer in his cell, there was only one place that the augment would be. Without giving thought of the other life form, Mina stood from the console and left, leaving the system running. Everything was too perfect. Hauser must have been moving to his other base, and should his experiment work on Khan, he would be going as well.

Mina stopped in her room, shutting the door and moving towards the bathroom to look into the mirror. It was looking like it was now or never that they should make their escape, because sometimes, when people went into the experimental ward, they never came out. That would not be the case with Khan, he was far too valuable to her. Mina carefully manipulated a razor, taking one of the three blades from its place by bending it back and forth. She held it between her index and middle finger and began cutting on the part of her neck where the chip lay just underneath. She winced from the stinging, but otherwise it was going along pretty easily. It was a bit deeper than she had realized, but she didn't have time to be very careful, so she hurried the cutting. The chip finally popped out, falling into the bowl of the sink. Mina looked into the mirror, patching up the hole she had put in her neck.

Without a moment to lose, she left, making her way towards the experimental ward. Mina attempted to keep her gait normal, controlling her desire to run towards the experimental ward. The things that happened there were never benevolent, and if she still desired to get off this station, she had to make sure that Khan stayed alive. The longer that he was there with Doctor Hauser, the less likely that would be the case.

Mina exited the lift on floor 21 and she walked down the aisle of cells. Many of them were open for viewing, having only an electrode field separating the hall from the medical equipment inside. Mina stopped in front of one of the first few rooms. An examination table with arm straps lay in the middle of the room, large bulbs turned towards it, but off, unlike what she remembered.

This was where most of her upgrades had taken place. She remembered the cuffs holding down her naked body. Under the eyes of the doctor, she had been nothing but a specimen. No one had been able to hear her screams through the electrode wall. No one had been there to hear them.

_"Hold still, this will only hurt for a little while…"_

Mina turned away from the room and continued down the hall, looking on either side for signs of Khan. It wasn't until she reached near the end of the hall that she saw Khan, hooked up to a computer and looking at her through the force field. She was relieved at first, to see that he was alive and relatively unharmed, until she looked onto the examination table. It was lifted at an angle towards her, and her heart felt as if it dropped to her feet.

Rebecca. Her sister was strapped to the table, and carefully resisting against the cloth that held her there. It had been years…and Rebecca's face had aged considerably. In fact, it was startling to see lines of age on Rebecca's face. Had it really been so long?

Mina had endured and suffered under the knowledge that Rebecca would be kept safe. But from the looks of it, this was not the first procedure that Rebecca had undergone.

"What are you doing!? You promised you wouldn't hurt her! You said that if I did what you asked, you would allow her to stay as she is…human!" Mina's voice was breaking, and she punched the force field in her anguish.

The field burned her fist and she looked at it for a second to see the first few layers of skin had burned off completely. Mina raised her eyes, and Rebecca's green eyes locked with her own.

"Mina, run! Please, don't watch..." Rebecca raised her hands at the wrists, and Mina imagined that she was beckoning to her, reaching her hand out in her plea rather than the true message.

Arion and the doctor stood beside her. Both looked to see what Rebecca had been screaming about. Neither of them moved when they saw Mina, and the doctor actually continued what he was doing. He looked as if he whispered something to Arion, who nodded silently. Arion gave Rebecca a quick smack across her face, and her head slumped forward, brown curls falling in front of her face.

Tears were streaming down Mina's face and she moved towards the force field again, even as she knew she couldn't get through.

"Let me through you bastard…I swear I will end you! Don't touch her!" Mina was screaming nonsensically. She looked across the field for a way to get around it, knowing in her gut that there was no such trick. Khan looked at her with a blank face, unmoving from the dose he had been administered to keep him incapacitated. Khan felt his skin prickling from the energy change…It was as if Mina was electrically charged, and the feeling was growing, passing over his skin in waves. It caused him pause, for it was not often that a human could give off that amount of energy. He waited, silent, and unmoving for things to play out.

Mina watched in horror as the doctor raised a needle from his pack and slid it into Rebecca's arm, glancing at Mina above the tops of his glasses but otherwise completely natural looking.

Horror washed across Mina's face and she screamed, throwing herself against the force field. With the very strength she had used, it was turned back upon her and she was flung to the other side of the hall. Mina picked herself up again off the floor and again ran at the field, all common sense leaving her. The field remained sturdy, but again she launched herself at the screen which placed her again on the ground. Pain exploded like stars in front of her eyes, and she looked up to Rebecca again. She saw that Rebecca had become responsive, and had arched her back in pain as the doctor finished injecting her with the serum.

Khan recognized what the girl was going through. As her body shook, Khan imagined how her blood must burn, the serum attacking her very DNA without the regenerative properties of his own blood completely filling her yet. Arion stared out at Mina with a smirk on his face. His sick smile showed that the display Mina was putting on gave him nothing more than the sweetest delight. He turned to Khan who was hooked up to a device, transfusing his blood into the girl. Arion checked the small cuffs on Khan's wrists, but seemed satisfied that the augment was not able to put up much of a fight.

"So sorry you had to see this, Mina. I was hoping to continue our working relationship. Which you know, we could still do. Soon, your sister will be just like you! Strong, fast, and alive. And you will be reunited." The doctor said this without even looking at Mina. His hand closed over Rebecca's shoulder, which were moving along with the rest of her body, flailing against the restraints.

"You said you would never hurt her! As long as I did what you said!" Mina was crying now, unable to control herself. She didn't bother answering the doctor and threw herself against the force field again and again. Each time, it threw her back against the opposite wall. The light reflecting across the surface turned blue, but Mina could still not cross the barrier. Mina felt the impact, as it burned hotter than fire, and the shock ran through her, similar to the feeling of the collar when it had rested upon her shoulders.

"You promised!" She roared, again throwing herself against the force field in an attempt to weaken it or even pass through. It didn't matter that it didn't make sense that she would not be able to pass through. "She wouldn't have to be a monster like me!"

In her torment, the memories flooded back, the endless screaming, the numbing sensation that always came after…Over and over again until the years turned to blurs and the pain was just an expected affair.

The procedure was obviously not going according to plan, and everyone knew it. Panic was crossing the doctor's face, and even Arion looked worriedly at the patient, who now had blood running from her nose and eyes.

"You fucking bastards, let me through!" Mina screamed in agony as Rebecca's green eyes rolled to the back of her skull. "Rebecca! Look at me!" It was obvious at this point that Rebecca couldn't hear anything, and her body continued to shake.

"Hauser, by god, do something!" Mina threw herself against the field again, trying to get to her sister.

The doctor said something quietly to Arion, who walked through the force field without an issue. Mina's face was hot, and she could feel and smell her flesh burning. As soon as Arion stepped onto her side of the field, she threw herself at him, now reduced to something less than human. Her nails ripped at his face and she tackled him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming his face against the ground. He had been unprepared for once, and she heard his nose crack against the concrete floor. Mina threw her fists into him, but it didn't last for long. He quickly regained the upper hand with sheer strength.

Through the field, Khan watched Mina, completely frozen. He watched as Arion picked himself off the ground and threw her aside. The man was a beast to behold. He leant over and grabbed Mina, twisting her to face the room and pressing her face against the force field. He was laughing, even as Mina's flesh began to sizzle and steam rose. She began to scream, and she thrashed against the hold on her.

Khan couldn't help but feel something akin to pity for the girl. Like him, all she wanted was for her family to be safe. She had become something more than human, and had gladly thrown it away for her sister. But now, humans showed their true colors, their betraying nature. At last, he understood.

It had been a good while since the serum had stopped affecting his muscles, but he had been curious to see how good the doctor was. Not only that, but Mina's appearance had been an unexpected occurance. The blood on her neck made it clear to him that events were moving faster than anyone could control. He looked at Rebecca, thinking to himself,

"_She isn't going to make it. But possibly that is to my advantage."_

Khan knew that the doctor had miscalculated just how much blood had needed to be in Rebecca's system while the serum was literally tearing her chromosomes to pieces and burning them back together. It meant the end to his patient's life, and all of the pieces were in their places. Khan closed his eyes in concentration and pulled his arms apart, causing the cuffs to bend. He slipped his hands out and began to unhook himself from the monitor. The doctor whirled around, away from Rebecca to see Khan walking towards him. Khan threw the monitor to the floor and began to break free from the braces on his legs.

"What are you doing? Stop!" The doctor said weakly, backing up towards Rebecca. She was barely conscious now, and the doctor turned away from Khan, trying to salvage his project. He picked up a needle with adrenaline, and he stabbed the girl's heart, releasing it immediately. Rebecca's movements became even more violent, and blood now dropped from her eyes and ears. Everything was going wrong.

The doctor moved away from Khan who was now making his way straight for him. He stopped when he heard Mina screaming again, this time unintelligibly. He looked to Rebecca who had finally fallen still. Her head hung forward, looking to the ground, and the heart monitor that had been hooked to her showed a lack of pulse. Rebecca was dead.

Mina's eyes widened, and she swung her arm over Arion's which was still keeping her trapped against the force field. She locked his arms in her own and gave a swift elbow strike to his face. He stepped back, completely off balance.

Suddenly the station gave a lurch, and all who were present were thrown off balance. Arion fell to the ground, and Mina followed, mounting Arion's waist and beginning to thrash at him. Her fists came in contact with his jaw several times, and fury was rising through her like a hot stream.  
Arion raised his hips, causing Mina to lurch forward. He locked his foot around hers and lifted his hips so that she was thrown off of him, and he was able to take hold of the situation. The doctor looked out one of the windows into space long enough to see the Starfleet ship that was pointed in their direction.

The audio system in the station roared to life from the communication from the Starfleet ship, and those who had been fighting stopped, their eyes trapped either on the speaker or the ship that lay just outside the station.

"This Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. A few days ago, someone aboard this station was tracked with a cargo of 43 torpedoes from one of our secure warehouses. Please respond, or we will be forced to open fire."

"Arion, quickly, get to the ship!" The doctor said, looking at his protégé. Arion gave Mina another punch to the stomach and then one to the face. The force field came down, and the doctor hurried after Arion down the hall. Mina groaned as the station lurched again, and she stumbled over to Rebecca, un-cuffing her and allowing Rebecca's body to fall onto her.

"Rebecca, please…" Her voice was the most timid that Khan had ever heard, and though he knew he should be following the two others, he could not escape the look of deep seated sorrow in Mina. The ship lurched again.

"Mina, if you wish to escape this place, you must come now. I will not ask again, I will not waste my time on a girl who has given up living." His harsh words were enough to bring Mina's gaze up to his own, and when he saw tears, he turned away, starting at a jog down the hall, leaving Mina behind.

Mina didn't seem to completely understand what was happening around her. She heard alarms, pressure valves were being triggered, and there had been some damage to the station. But there she was…holding her sister in her arms. Rebecca's green eyes were still open, but they were empty now, completely devoid of the strange delight that Mina remembered from the days in which they had dreamed together.

"What do I do, Rebecca? I am so lost…" Mina felt hot tears falling down her cheeks, and even as sorrow continued to pour from her, the heat of anger was not gone. She looked down the hall that Khan had run down, and she carefully laid her sister's body on the ground.

"I will destroy them all, Rebecca. The doctor. Arion. Neither will escape alive." Her silent promise gave her enough energy to begin down the same path as the others, her tears turning instead to fuel for her anger.

* * *

Arion stepped into the medium sized transport, now cramped from the torpedoes. The doctor stood beside him, readying the ship for take-off.

"Arion, I must go back in order to get my research. Do not leave without me." Arion nodded and watched the doctor exit the ship. Arion smirked to himself, readying the ship for take-off anyway. Should the doctor make it back in the next few minutes, he would probably allow the doctor back on, but otherwise, he was ready to get off this station.

The doctor stumbled towards the main med bay, his steps quick, and his anxiety high. The augment and Mina were still aboard, and he wasn't sure how long it would take for them to catch up with him. He turned over a file cabinet in the office, looking for his research notes on Rebecca's case file. It had been so perfect, he had done everything correctly, or so he had thought. But her death paired with the Starfleet finally catching up was just part of circumstance.

The doctor had the distinct feeling he was being watched, and so he stopped and slowly turned towards the main entrance to the room. The augment stood, his eyes gleaming at the doctor. Slowly, Hauser backed up, trying to head towards the other exit. The notes could be reproduced, his life however, could not. The doctor started at a run back towards the transport, and he made it most of the way there, even as the station lurched again. The main transport area that held the ships was a large circular area with halls leading from a central point. It was here that the augment caught up with him, tripping the doctor. As Hauser fell to the ground, the augment lifted his leg and broke the man's right leg.

Doctor Hauser screamed in pain, unwelcome tears finding their place at his eyes and spilling over. The man's screams continued as he grasped the broken section.

Khan wasn't finished though. He lifted his leg again and crushed the doctor's left knee before picking him up by the collar. The man was shaking, jerking from the force of his sobs. Khan tilted his head to the side, regarding the fragile creature in his hands. There was an explosion, and Khan looked towards one of the large windows displaying the space just outside. Khan watched as the medium transport took off and started towards one of the distant planets.

"Arion…" The doctor said under his breath.

"Your little lap dog got brave without you around. Looks like it is just you and me, all alone." The doctor stared into the eyes of Khan, who dropped the doctor onto his feet.

Hauser couldn't stay standing, and completely collapsed onto the ground. His body curled up upon itself, a pitiful display of weakness to Khan, as both he and the doctor knew these moments were the man's last.

"Where is my family, doctor?" Khan kicked the doctor's side, causing an 'oomf' and a strangled cry from the broken man on the ground. The man said nothing, and instead held his side, rocking back and forth.

"MY FAMILY, WHERE ARE THEY?" Khan roared at him, a thin sheen of sweat starting to appear on his brow.

"The ship that just left…that was the ship I brought you on." Mina's voice came from one of the entrances to the room and Khan's eyes flashed towards her. Mina watched the understanding dawn in his blue eyes. Khan looked about, searching for a way to follow, but he stopped, turning instead towards the doctor. The man had dragged himself towards the closest console in just that amount of time, and had begun opening the system processes.

Khan strode over to him and threw him away from the console, but a countdown had already been initiated. Khan looked back at Mina, whose face was blood smeared.

"Self-destruct sequence." He said as the station gave another lurch.

"You can't stop it now. Arion has gone, and you are trapped here with me. Time to die, augment!" One of the lenses in the doctor's glasses had shattered, and he was left seeing mostly out of one side. He clambered up to his feet as Khan approached him, and he was raised to his feet and then off the ground. Mina watched as Khan's eyes flashed feral again and he wrapped his long white fingers around the man's neck.

"My name…Is Khan." This last whisper was spoken with sure ire, that even the doctor's eyes widened.

In a moment, the air had been trapped from the man's brain, and he began to struggle and flail. Khan pressed his fingers into the man's neck. He clenched his teeth in rage, putting all of his strength into this one last action. Mina drank in the scene, some dark twisted pleasure taking hold as she watched the man's last attempt of escape. Khan's eyes burned into the man as his face turned from red to a purple hue. There was an audible crack, even with all of the surrounding chaos, and all of the fight in the man's muscles for oxygen went completely still.

Khan let the body drop to the floor and he turned to look at Mina, whose eyes were fixed on the broken and bloody remains of the mad doctor. Her chest was heaving, and that same electricity he had felt before was back to dancing on his skin. She looked dangerous, for the first time since he had met her, he knew she was a survivor.

"If you value your life, think quickly Mina. We need to get off this ship." The count down was still decreasing, and Khan's voice didn't seem to be quite reaching her. He stepped over the dead body and approached her carefully, gripping her shoulder in one of his hands.

"Mina. We must go." Her ocean blue eyes met his own, and at last he saw the understanding.

"There is an escape pod. This way." She turned from the scene, starting back towards the circular room they had come from. Quickly, Mina entered her information onto the panel, placing her hand on the pad which caused the pod door to snap open.

It was just a small ship, enough room for two pilots. She knew it wouldn't get them far, but it didn't have to.

Khan climbed in and went to the front, strapping himself in and engaging the pod. He looked at the manual control to close the pod and reached for it.

_It would be so very easy to just leave her here…._

His hand faltered, and he placed it back on the controls, continuing the startup sequence. Mina stepped in beside him, strapping herself in as well. She was none the wiser to the fact she had almost went down with the station.

Mina pulled on the controls and their pod lurched forward away from the mechanics that hinged it in place. She punched the accelerator, pushing them out with the thrusters on full. The station's countdown was nearing zero, as they passed the threshold of the station's docking area, the core of the ship exploded, a force adding to their own acceleration. Mina continued forward, knowing that they were not out of danger yet.

"You need to start maneuvering, the station is falling apart!" Khan said in a dangerous whisper, holding onto the bar in front of him to keep himself steady. The ship was flung off course by the explosion, and something from the station indeed hit one of the back engines. It sent the ship hurtling down near the planet below.

Mina flipped a switch, trying to stabilize them, but to no avail. She looked at Khan for a moment just as they entered the first layers of the atmosphere.

"Well Khan, it was nice knowing you." She gave a little grin, a pronounced "Fuck you!" to fate and all that had led to this moment. She pulled the stabilizers again as they began falling through the last layer before the ground.

The ship hit the ground, and there was silence.

* * *

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading thus far. I finally finished this chapter, sorry again for the wait, but I needed to work out a few kinks.

I would like to thank AvalonTheLadyKiller, who has continually reviewed each chapter that I have uploaded thus far. Thanks for the continued support. Sorry that you won't get your revenge with Arion until a later point. But his demise is sure to be on our main character's minds.

c3lph t1tl3d, I would like to thank you as well for your review. Glad that you are enjoying the mad scientist much as I did while I wrote it. I always do enjoy molding the antagonists right along side my protagonist.

Thank you all for the support. I am glad I decided to do this story, it is really morphing into something I am proud of, and through your encouragements, I have become better! Thanks again!


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